


Half A Coward

by orphan_account



Category: Homestuck
Genre: 1000-3000 words, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Don't pay attention to the relationships tagged there is nothing it is just death, Eridan is fucked up in the head, Everybody Dies, Except Kanaya, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Royalty AU, YAY DEATH, at the end, only death and fuckery, there's blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-07-24
Packaged: 2017-12-21 05:26:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is Eridan Ampora. You made a deal with the king Jack Noir. You either get Feferi Pexies to surrender, or you kill her. No more, no less.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Half A Coward

**Author's Note:**

> I was bored (weird thing to be writing when you are bored, what the fuck). It was 2 AM. I wrote this instead of sleeping. This has no editing. It's terrible. I'm posting it anyway. Really short, really to the point. Eridan is fucked every way to shitsville.
> 
> I HAVEN'T EVEN REREAD THIS AFTER WRITING IT WHY AM I POSTING THIS

It’s a terribly disgusting grin he wears on his face. Your lip curls at the sight of it; you always though he kind of looked like an ugly dog. An ugly dog wearing his ridiculous clothing and asking you to do a task so outlandish it makes your blood boil. But such is the price of success. You almost feel like putting him in his rightful place, if it weren’t for the fact that he is the most powerful king to have ever been. Of course, you’re just going for survival. He will make your kingdom surrender; it’s only a matter of time. But it’s the survival of the fittest, and you are the sole person who can think outside of the small, underdeveloped box of stupidity all of your pitiful people have confined themselves to. That’s what brings you to the castle of Jack Noir.

It’s nighttime, and the journey back will put you in your own castle just before dawn; planned perfectly, lest you arouse the suspicions of others. When you return, you do not seem to alert any of the guards, and make it safely back to your quarters. It’s a mere hour before you must start the duties of the day. You’re tired, but it’s easily brushed off. You could probably go a couple nights without sleep before letting the exhaustion affect you all too much.

In the halls, you converse as normal with the knight you would sometimes call “Freak.” He hated the name, but to be fair, you two were on good enough terms to have terrible nicknames for each other. He was always insecure, always shouting, and had a vocabulary filled with metaphors colorful enough to make a rainbow jealous. He had some sort of rivalry with the one stoic knight who was a total asshole in your opinion, but you honestly didn’t give a shit about him. He wasn’t worth your time. Practically no one was. Save the Queen, the castellan who also doubled as clothier, and Sir “Freak” Vantas.

Others had no importance when you were so much more important. “Viceroy, half the time, and meanwhile, you’re my Justiciar, maybe even my Chancellor,” the Queen would say, excitedly with a huge smile. She tended to like to pin a number of titles on you simply because you were her childhood best friends and advised her, ruled for her when she was away, had servants of your own. Ah yes, you were of most importance. Of course, the importance act would have nothing to do with the fact that if you did not assert your authority, you certainly wouldn’t be taken seriously. Or the fact that you need attention more than Jack Noir needs a nice, long sword through the gut.

You enter the grand doors of the Queen’s throne room, bowing swiftly to her with a quick “Your majesty.”

“Eridan, I continue to tell you there is no need for being so formal,” she says.

“I know, Fef, but I’m afraid this is important.”

She sighed. It’s your cue to continue.

“Jack Noir has a strong hold on us. I’m afraid it will soon come down to a choice between surrender or being destroyed.”

She looked so solemn. Sometimes, you would feel bad for her. You continued to tell yourself you’ve mistaken pity for love. Or maybe it was just mild interest. You tell it to yourself to keep the pain of rejection at ease. She’d been in love with a peasant. Oh, the dreams you had about destroying him, squashing him, tearing him apart. Feferi would always tell you you’re far too angry. Too much to handle.

“Look, it may sound absurd, but if we join him now, we can still thrive. We can still have Alternia.”

You said it with hope. She sees it, but she thinks it’s hope for you people. Hope for Alternia, the Pexies kingdom, the golden, glorious, happy kingdom she has made prosper. No, you had hoped she would have said yes. Because “She either accepts, or you will kill her. Nothing more, nothing less.” You prayed that you wouldn’t have to.

But you knew you would. You could see it in the look in her eyes.

“I can’t. I couldn’t do a thing for that man. He’s sick, he’s evil, and I would rather die than have to join with him.”

“You’re right. It was a ridiculous suggestion,” You said with defeat.

She smiled sadly, and you decided to return to your quarters. There were preparations to be made. All of your hope was destroyed. Destroyed and turned into the pure will to survive.

You wanted to find a reason. You wanted to find any justification to kill her. She was sweet, she was kind, she was not anyone you’d think about killing. But the human mind will rationalize. It will twist words and find a way to justify itself. So your thoughts stewed, went over all of your past.

Reason of that nature came from insecurities. The minds rationalization comes from fear and anger. It comes from every flaw. You had plenty. You had always feared not being taken seriously. As your mind played otu you past with her, you realized that she never did. She trusted you the most, she was your best friend, and yet, she pitied you. She thought you were too angry, too self-centered. Always. Those thoughts alone were enough to make you curl your fist. And then there was Sollux Captor. The man she was in love with. A servant. A peasant. She considered him better than you, more of a viable romantic interest than you.

There wasn’t a single time she had ever taken you seriously.

You grabbed your sword and stormed through the halls. You heart was racing, your temples were pulsing. With every heartbeat, you could feet your shoes tapping the stone floors, a sturdy, angry rhythm that became the perfect percussion duo with your pulse. Steps on stone, and the spilled blood of Feferi Pexies. Those were the only things that mattered.

You entered the throne room once more, breath heavy with rage, and you saw her, sitting prettily like a doll on her throne. The only thing between you and her was-- Sollux Captor.

It was as everything was spinning. You felt amazing. It was even better when you took his head between your hands, twisted, and snapped his neck. He fell to the floor; a limp pile of flesh and bones. Feferi looked horrified. You smiled. She came running towards you, quickly, but not fast enough. You had the time to draw your sword, and watch as the blade slid through her chest.

It was amusing. The blade was sharp, but it did take some effort to get it all the way through her. You don’t know which was more amusing, her face, filled with terror, shock, and betrayal, or the fact that it would be the only time she ever took you seriously.

You made sure she knew it in her last moments. “You didn’t take me seriously, Fef, but everyone will. When they hear I killed the Queen.” You smiled. It was an unexpected smile, but it was thrilling. More than you’d expected.

You watched as her eyes rolled back, letting out a choked moan as blood filled her mouth. A small part of you felt terrible seeing her like this, but you had no time to mull over her death.

The castellan had heard the screams. She barged through the door, carrying a sword, rage in her eyes. You had no time to run. You had no time to yank the bloodied sword out of the Queen’s body. Kanaya’s arms swung, and the sword connected with your torso.

The sudden pain in your side was excruciating beyond anything you had ever felt. Then it was overcome by more agony as the sword kept going. It ripped through your skin, spilling your blood all too fast. The blade wasn’t sharp enough to cut through your spine, but had enough force to snap it. The pain shot through you, overwhelming everything. Blood filled your mouth, the world became hazy, and the pain was dull.

But you weren’t dead. Not yet. You were in shock, but not dead. Soon you could hear Kanaya’s voice. Distant, faded, but still there.

“You’re a coward, Eridan.”

Maybe if you were in a better state you would have noticed that one of your close friends, one of your only friends, just cut you in half, but you could only hear her words ringing in your head. You tasted nothing but blood, felt nothing but pain, and eventually, you realized you were drowning.

You let the red ocean engulf you, fill your lungs, and take you away. Soon, everything was black.

**Author's Note:**

> Why did I write this, again? Oh right.
> 
> Me: Go the fuck to sleep. ==>


End file.
